Blocked family visits and freedom of movement

Holding Palestinian detainees in prisons inside Israel makes it extremely difficult for their families to visit, as they need special permits to travel through the checkpoints and Apartheid Wall from the West Bank into Israel. Family visits are reserved for family members who are eligible to receive permits, which are often rejected arbitrarily by the Israeli authorities.

When family members are granted permits to visit, they are required to go through lengthy journeys and endure multiple checkpoints and searches on the way to see their imprisoned loved ones for only approximately 40 minutes. Family members are often subjected to degrading treatment by prison guards and soldiers during visits.

This situation demonstrates one of the many ways that imprisonment is inextricable from the larger context of military occupation. Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement is compromised anyway because of the occupation, but doubly so when their family members are taken from them and kept inside the occupation prisons.

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War on Want is happy to be supporting “Curfew”, a contemporary dance production performed by El-Funoun (Palestine) and Hawiyya Dance Company (UK), presented by Arts Canteen. "Curfew" is a thought-provoking contemporary dance production that encourages individuals to self-reflect and take action in front of injustice.